Charges still mulled in death of Warren baby

The mother of an 18-day-old Warren girl who died after suffering three skull fractures was formally charged Monday with traffic offenses, but prosecutors have not determined whether to charge her in her daughter’s death.

Charliette Stalling, 25, who was taken into custody Friday afternoon hours after she left the hospital as police arrived there, was arraigned by 37th District Judge Matthew Sabaugh on prior warrants accusing her of driving while license suspended, and driving while unlicensed or never applied, officials said. The judge set bond at $30,000.

“They’re still deliberating on what move to make,” Galasso said. “She is still a suspect in the homicide.”

Warren police said the mother dialed 911 at approximately 1 p.m. Oct. 3 to report the baby was vomiting repeatedly. Warren paramedics arrived at the home and performed CPR on the child and revived her on the way to St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital, Warren Campus, for treatment.

The infant was transferred about two hours later to St. John Hospital in Detroit, where X-rays revealed the fractures and bleeding on the brain. The little girl died shortly after 7 a.m. Friday.

When the mother spotted Detroit police officers arriving at the hospital to take a report, she left. At approximately 1:30 p.m. Friday, Warren detectives confronted her at her home in the 7200 block of Orchard Avenue. She was taken into custody for the outstanding misdemeanor traffic warrants. An officer found marijuana in her clothing during a pat-down search, police said.

Police said Stalling celebrated her own birthday on Thursday at the neighboring home of a friend. She continued to celebrate even after leaving the Detroit hospital, but didn’t elaborate, Galasso said.

“She felt comfortable with the decision to celebrate after learning of the death of her child,” the deputy commissioner said.

“She is denying doing anything harmful to the child,” he said. “She indicated that she was the sole person that had custody and care of the child, that the infant had never fallen or was dropped in any fashion and was unable to give any reason for the skull fracture.”

At some point during questioning by police, the woman invoked her constitutional right to not speak further to investigators.

Macomb County Medical Examiner Dr. Daniel Spitz performed the autopsy of the infant on Sunday and said her injuries were caused by blunt force trauma, according to police.

Stalling lived in the sparsely furnished home but spent much of her time at the neighboring friend’s home. She also has two other children, ages 7 and 4. One had previously been removed from the home by Child Protective Services and placed with the maternal grandmother, where both kids are residing now, police said.

The baby’s father was not involved with the little girl during her brief life, police said.